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WorksheetsEcology - Serengeti; Wildebeest Migration
Total questions: 43
Worksheet time: 23mins
What group of people, in the early 1900's decided that the Serengeti was a place of unique biodiversity that needed to be protected?
African
British
German
American
What is the geographical location of the Serengeti?
East Africa
West Africa
Europe
Asia
The Serengeti National Park is primarily found in which country?
Tanzania
Kenya
Africa
South America
Why did the British decide to create the Serengeti National Park
to protect the unique biodiversity of the area
to control the area
to make sure no one could live in the area
to make sure no one could hunt in the area
What year was the Serengeti National park created?
1900
1920
1951
1960
Why were the boundaries of the Serengeti National park changed?
to protect the wildebeest migration patterns and the ecosystem
to create areas where the indigenous Masai could live, raise cattle and hunt
to provide game reserves for tourism and big game hunting with a permit
all of these
Describe the climate of the Serengeti.
Cold and wet; there is a dry season from November to May
Warm and dry; there is a rainy season from November to May
Hot and humid; with a rainy season from June to October
Mild and temperate; there is not a rainy and dry season
What animals in the Serengeti migrate?
Wildebeest, zebra and gazelle.
Wildebeest, zebra and giraffes.
Lions, cheetahs and hyenas
Wildebeest, lions and Zebra
What is the driving force of migration?
food and water availability
the rainy season
the dry season
the fire season
If the zebra and gazelle compete with the wildebeest for food, why do they all migrate together?
the large numbers of wildebeest protect zebra and gazelle from predation
The large numbers of zebra protect the wildebeest and gazelle from predation
The wildebeest numbers keep the gazelle and zebra numbers low.
All the herbivores eat different types of grass and at different times of the year.
What is the relationship between rain, grass and wildebeest migration.
Rain is essential for grass growth. The availability of grass drives the migration of the wildebeest.
There is no relationship between rain, grass and wildebeest migration.
Rain falls in different parts of the Serengeti at different times of the year. Wildebeest follow the rain because that is where the grass grows.
We discovered that it rains the most in the Northern part of the Serengeti. If rain is essential to grass growth, why don't the wildebeest stay in the North?
The wildebeest travel south at the start of the rainy season because there is more space in the south and the grass is more nutritious there.
There are too many predators in the North so they move to the South.
There is disease in the North so when wildebeest numbers drop, they move to the south.
There are some wildebeest that stay in the north all year.
If the grass is more nutritious in the south, why do the wildebeest migrate to the east and north?
All herbivores compete for the nutritious grass in the south. Eventually, the wildebeest are forced to migrate east and north in search of more food and water.
Wildebeest move east and north in order to reproduce.
The wildebeest move east and north because there are too many lions in the south.
There is not enough space and grass in the south. The wildebeest have to move east and north when the population increases.
What additional predator did the wildebeest have to worry about when crossing the rivers in the north?
lions
crocodile
hyena
cheetah
match the graph with its definition
linear
exponential
logistic / carrying capacity
According to the graph, what time frame did rinderpest affect the wildebeest population?
1890
1960
between 1890 and 1960
between 1960 and 1990
Using the graph, what was the carrying capacity between 1890 and 1960 when the wildebeest were affected by rinderpest.
around 500000
around 1.3 million
around 300000
around 250000
In what year did rinderpest appear to end, why?
1960 - because the wildebeest became resistant to the virus
1960 - because a vaccine was given to cattle
In 1980 - because that is when the wildebeest reached the carrying capacity of 1.3 million
1910 to 1950 because the wildebeest population was stable
Using the graph, how long did it take the wildebeest population to recover from rinderpest? How do you know?
almost 20y - the wildebeest numbers reached carrying capacity of 1.3 million by 1980
around 10 years - the wildebeest numbers were increasing by 1970
around 30 years - the wildebeest numbers were stable until 1990
The wildebeest were affected by rinderpest for 70 years (1890 to 1960)
Around 1994, the wildebeest population dropped because of drought. What is drought and why were the wildebeest affected so badly?
a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water - there was not enough food and the wildebeest died of starvation
a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water - there was not enough food and the wildebeest died of anthrax
a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water - there was not enough food and the wildebeest died because of predation
Using the graph, drought occurred around 1994. How long did it take the Serengeti ecosystem to recover and how do you know?
around 6 years - the wildebeest population reached carrying capacity by year 2000
it's hard to know - there was no data from 1994 to 1998
around 16 years - the wildebeest population was unstable until 2000 and then started going up again
it's hard to know - the wildebeest population has been unstable since then
Wildebeest are can be found in several areas in Africa. Using the figure, what kind of wildebeest is primarily found in the Serengeti.
blue wildebeest
black wildebeest
East white bearded
West white bearded
Describe a keystone species.
an organism in an ecosystem that has such a large effect that if it is removed, the ecosystem changes drastically
the apex predator in an ecosystem
the base of an ecosystem
the middle organism in a food web
What is the keystone species in the Serengeti and why?
the lion because it is the apex predator and regulates the ecosystem from the top down
the wildebeest because it eats the grass to a point that wildfires are prevented and the ecosystem stays balanced
the wildebeest because it is the primary food source for the lion
the grass because without grass there are no herbivores, without herbivores there are no carnivores
Why is the wildebeest the keystone species for the Serengeti and not the lion?
If the lion is removed from the ecosystem, there are still predators like the cheetah, hyena and wild dog - the ecosystem is only minimally disrupted
if the wildebeest is removed from the ecosystem, the other herbivores do not eat the grass to a point that prevents wildfires - wildfires change the entire ecosystem
the wildebeest and the lion are both keystone species - they are essential to the functioning of the Serengeti ecosystem
There are no keystone species in the Serengeti ecosystem.
Why is the dung beetle important to the ecosystem of the Serengeti.
The dung beetle feeds the birds.
The dung beetle eats wildebeest dung and buries them in the ground providing nutrients for grass.
The dung beetle is not important to the ecosystem.
The dung beetle competes with grasshoppers and keeps the population in check.
What is the primary food source for the lion.
wildebeest
gazelle
zebra
antelope
What is the primary food source for the cheetah?
gazelle
wildebeest
zebra
antelope
Which is not an abiotic factor of the Serengeti?
rain
sun
rivers
grass
Which is not a biotic factor of the Serengeti.
lions
wildebeest
grass
water
Define ecosystem.
All the interactions between the biotic and abiotic factors in a defined area
All the interactions between biotic factors in a defined area
All the interactions between abiotic factors in a defined area
All the interactions between living organisms in the Serengeti
Define ecology.
the study of the interactions between organisms and the environment
the study of animals
the study of living things
the study of the environment
Using the picture, what trophic level is the grass?
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer
Using the picture, what are the primary consumers?
grass, grasshopper and mouse
grasshopper, frog and bird
grasshopper, mouse and rabbit
fox, owl and snake
Using the picture, what are the secondary consumers?
grasshopper, mouse and rabbit
frog, owl, and fox
fox, snake and hawk
frog, owl and snake
Using the picture, which animals are tertiary consumers?
the hawk and snake
the hawk, snake and fox
the owl, snake and hawk
the fox, the owl and snake
Using your knowledge of ecology, what is another term for producers?
autotroph
hetertroph
consumer
herbivore
Using your understanding of ecology, how might you categorize consumers?
autotrophs
heterotrophs
herbivores
carnivores
Using your knowledge of ecology, which term is not considered a heterotroph?
herbivore
omnivore
carnivore
producer
Using your knowledge of the Serengeti ecosystem, what is considered a producer?
grass
wildebeest
gazelle
lion
Using your knowledge of the Serengeti ecosystem, what is not considered a primary consumer?
zebra
gazelle
wildebeest
hyena
Using your knowledge of the Serengeti ecosystem, which animal is considered a carnivore and an apex predator?
the lion
the cheetah
the hyena
the African wild dog
Based on your knowledge of the Serengeti ecosystem, what factors does not limit population numbers of the wildebeest?
the amount of grass (food) and water
disease
predation
competition
